British Armed Forces and Overseas Births and Baptisms

Findmypast has brought together records from the General Register Office and The National Archives in one collection of birth and baptism records of those born overseas and at sea. The collection holds birth records of children born to those working within the armed forces, merchant navy, and consular forces, as well as, civilian ship passengers.

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With each result, you will be given a transcript with the vital details recorded from the original source. Many results will also give you an image of the original record. The amount of detail in each transcript will depend on the original record. Below is a list of facts that you may find in the records:

The British armed forces and overseas births and baptisms pulls together records from the General Register Office (GRO) and The National Archive (TNA) to create one expansive collection. Below we have provided a full list of sources including the archive and series information. Within the collection, you will find birth records from families of military personnel, British Consul staff, and British nationals working overseas, as well as, individuals born at sea. The details found in the GRO indexes will allow you to purchase the original certificate from the General Register Office.

If you have a relative or ancestor who was born overseas but was still classed as a British citizen at the time of the birth, then it is quite possible that the British Consul or the UK High Commission in the relevant jurisdiction would have been notified of the birth, allowing you to find the record within the General Register Office Consular indices.

The armed forces records include the registrations of British armed forces (including serving members who were not British nationals) posted overseas. This index also includes some regimental registers and chaplains' returns for army births which took place in the British Isles, for example, at barracks and garrisons.

The records include births of the children of passengers, seamen, and Royal Marines, of both British and other nationalities. Some of the records contain notes about conditions surrounding the birth, such as premature confinement, if the child was stillborn, or if the mother was unmarried.

Most of the records found in this collection were previously available as separate record sets on Findmypast as British nationals born overseas 1818-2005, British nationals armed forces births 1761-2005, and Births at sea, 1854-1960. We have combined the various record sets and added additional records from The National Archives to create this extensive collection.

BT 26/66/85 - SS Galicia travelling from Valparaiso to Liverpool. Embarking at Valparaiso, Montevideo, & Rio de Janeiro. Official Number: 69249. List of passengers disembarking at Liverpool. [Passengers included one female child born during the voyage. Nationality: Spanish. No date of birth given].

BT 26/71/39 - SS Pennland travelling from Philadelphia to Liverpool. Embarking at Philadelphia. Official Number: [No official number listed]. List of passengers disembarking at Queenstown & Liverpool. [Passengers included one child that died during the voyage]. [Passengers included one female that was born during the voyage. Nationality: British. No date of birth given].

BT 85/74/65 - SS India (British India Steam Navigation Company Ltd) travelling from Brisbane to London. Embarking at Brisbane, Rockhampton, Townsville, Cairns, Cooktown & Aden. Official Number: 85861. List of passengers disembarking at Plymouth & London. [Passengers included one male child born during the voyage. Nationality: British. No date of birth given ]. [Passengers included two individuals that died during the voyage].